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Activities
[01-2011]
1
Silicosis - the NEPSI agreement
Five years ago the industry federations concerned, the trade unions and the EU-Commission signed a binding agreement that obligatory controls and measures by the industry will allow a level of security that makes inflexible laws and regulations superfluous.
The NEPSI Summary Report was sent to the EU Commission and national authorities in August 2010. Although 2011 is not a reporting year, at the request of the Trade Unions, the NEPSI main focus will be to increase participation of companies and to demonstrate effectiveness of task sheets. Although not included in the second and third quarters for 2011 of three workshops planned in Bulgaria, Romania and Poland. Our partner industry federations Euromines and UEPG will provide contacts in these countries.
2
Explosives and stone quarries
The members of NEEIP (Non-Energetic Extractive Industry Panel) face the Directive of identification of explosives, which should have been implemented in 2009 taking effect in 2012. Some technical difficulties have been experienced. Our working group agreed to postpone the Directive. In spring an action plan shall be drafted to overcome the technical difficulties.
3
REACH & Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals (CLP)
Euroroc and its colleagues in NEEIP stress the need for continuing discussions on the classification issues. The EC will not allow different classifications in different Member States; it needs to be harmonised. Classification of some minerals depends on their Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) content . The information is available for the crystalline silica website prepared by IMA-Europe, http://www.crystallinesilica.eu.
It was noted that sending ores samples to a laboratory means the same as putting the material on the market, it therefore also triggers classification. The question of labelling ores which may contain fibres is still under discussion in the concerned sub-sectors.
4
Quartz
M. Wyart-Remy informs that a pesticide dossier was submitted by four applicants for a limited use consisting in putting glue with quartz on trees to prevent deer from eating the tree. The active substance quartz sand was notified. As the consequence of a very rough assessment, the Austrian experts concluded that there was a need for a split classification of the fine and the coarse part of the quartz.
5
Raw Materials Initiative Follow-up
The European Parliament (EP) has increased its interest in Raw Materials and a MEP club is set up which is quite supportive towards industry and could be found on the EP Website. It includes MEPs such as Buttighofer MEP, Reul MEP, etc. As regards the Resource Intelligent Network, clarification is needed. The new innovation partnerships seem to be supported by some MEP (depends on who you are talking too). The EP is divided among those who support not extracting in Europe at all (due to environmental issues) and those who favour the extraction of Raw Materials, as they are a driver for economy in certain regions.
The innovation partnerships have not been approved by the Council yet. The European Commission will present suggestions on how to put them into practice to Member States representatives and Research Ministers soon. A meetings (28 February 2011) is foreseen in order to collect feedback on a possible innovation partnership on Raw Materials and draft a governance paper. Pending on Council conclusions, it should be launched by the end of 2011, starting works in 2012.
Need to ensure that the whole life cycle of a product is analysed and included when defining resource efficiency. It needs to be clear that resource efficiency does not necessarily mean to reduce use of certain resources. Collective work and effort are necessary.
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